Bhuvneshwar - Meerut's scissors

The small town in Uttar Pradesh is known for its assembly line of scissors and now, swing bowlers. While Praveen Kumar has fallen off the radar, the relatively humble Bhuvneshwar Kumar is made of sturdier metal

SG cricket balls and other sports-goods manufacturing. Generation after generation of workers are handed down the skill to make SG balls, the only hand-stitched ball used in international cricket.

Revdi - the sweet with sesame seeds and lots of sugar.

Crime rate, much higher than India's average.

The closest thing to Tarantino in India - filmmaker and musician Vishal Bhardwaj, who also does a lot of Shakespeare adaptations, grew up playing with guns and musical instruments alike.

And the scissors. The famous Meerut Ki Kainchi, which has now got itself a Geographical Indicator tag to protect it from poor imitation. They are sharp, smooth, deft of movement, crisp with the 'kich-khach' sound tailors love. Saadat Hasan Manto, the great writer known for his short stories, wrote about this temptress in the 1940s Bollywood whom he didn't name. The book was called Meerut Ki Kainchi.

The two 'scissors' Meerut (a town in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh) has given Indian cricket of late can swing the SG and Duke ball sharp. We might as well give the 'Kumar Scissors' a Geographical Indicator. Praveen Kumar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are pretty deft, modest to the outside world, not willing to discuss their craft openly, and with their pace around 130kmph or 80mph and a drivable length they tempt batsmen fatally. Praveen is currently Indian cricket's big loss, due to a combination of fitness and attitude issues and poor luck, but this new pair seems to be built of sturdier metal.

A lot of nurture and care has gone into Bhuvneshwar. His family moved to Meerut from a village. His father was a cop and his mother didn't know the Meerut ways, although Meerut itself is a small town. Bhuvneshwar's sister was at times a friend, at times a parent to him. She would go to the parent-teachers meet at school, and make sure the parents didn't get a wind of all school complaints against him. Bhuvneshwar wasn't the brightest student, but he was pretty clever with the ball.

When the young Bhuvneshwar told his parents he wanted to join a cricket club, they just gawked. They knew cricket existed, they knew who Sachin Tendulkar was, but they didn't really know what cricket was. They still put together enough to get him in. He had to lug his kit bag one kilometre to the nearest auto rickshaw (tuk-tuk) stand for his 2pm games in those merciless north-Indian summers. When he returned by 7pm, his mother would be waiting there, and she would carry the kit bag on the way back.

Before his Uttar Pradesh Under-17 trials, Bhuvneshwar didn't even have a proper pair of boots. His sister used to work in Delhi. She rushed to the posh Khan Market, spent a fortune on them and reached home at 6.15pm. His train was to leave at 7pm.

Bhuvneshwar made it to the Uttar Pradesh Ranji team, a highly competitive and politicised environment, but also conducive for swing bowlers. Three of India's last four proper swing bowlers have come from there, RP Singh being the other. They were mentored by Ashish Winston Zaidi, a similarly wily swing bowler who knew how to take wickets on dead pitches and who ended four wickets short of being the most successful paceman in the Ranji Trophy. Bhuvneshwar's first big match involved Praveen, RP and Zaidi, and the only cricketer his parents had heard of.

Before his UP U-17 trials, Bhuvneshwar didn't even have a proper pair of boots. His sister used to work in Delhi. She rushed to the posh Khan Market, spent a fortune on them and reached home at 6.15pm. His train was to leave at 7pm

Tendulkar played the 2008-09 Ranji Trophy final against UP. On the first morning, on a flat pitch, he bowled 13 dot balls to Tendulkar, setting him up with full outswingers before bowling an inswinger with the short midwicket taking a bat-pad catch. That was Tendulkar's first first-class duck in Indian domestic cricket. In a TV show answering kids' questions, a modest Bhuvneshwar recently said he still doesn't know how he got the wicket. He was setting up the great batsman all along. Bhuvneshwar still talks similarly of international wickets today.

Wonder what kind of sleep he will get tonight. He has followed RP and Praveen to the Lord's honours board. There is a nice symmetry to that, all three swing bowlers hailing from the badlands of UP, living in sports hostels, making their own decisions, learning by themselves as they go along (though Bhuvneshwar isn't a product of the hostels). Bhuvneshwar will likely tell you how he just bowled in the right areas to fetch six wickets at Lord's, but there was a proper method to his wickets.

Michael Holding on Sky Sports noted how he bowled in the old-fashioned manner of looking over his front arm just before letting the ball go, in the process putting a lot of stress on his back but getting enough action on the ball. With that thin frame, he needs all the action his technique can generate. Most bowlers nowadays go easy on their backs and look under their front arm. The ball danced to Bhunveshwar's tune. If he wanted outswing he drew outswing, if he wanted inswing he generated inswing. He got balls to go against the slope, waited patiently before pulling out the variation, but gave away no free runs and few easy leaves.

Alastair Cook got into a poker game with Bhuvneshwar. From the Nursery End Bhuvneshwar bowled a whole over moving the ball up the hill and away from him. Cook was mindful of the one that would eventually come back in, but Bhuvneshwar was prepared to wait. Cook jumped the gun on this one, and played at what he had been leaving alone. Bhuvneshwar showed more patience against Sam Robson, who was dropped once and who edged one through the cordon in the first 10 overs. Bhuvneshwar kept pegging away with no free runs again, and Robson eventually ran out of discipline, patience and played that loose shot. That was in Bhuvneshwar's eighth over on the bounce, but he was prepared to bowl more.

Bhuvneshwar was in his 15th over when India began the 32nd. The wicket of Ian Bell might look like a trick of the pitch, but Bell has shown a bit of edginess, a lack of certainty, a conflict between a dab and a leave when the ball has been short of a length and just around off. This one just nipped back and bounced at him, and Bhuvneshwar had three. The wickets had dried up, but runs didn't flow off Bhuvneshwar either. However, statistics were against him.

Before this series Bhuvneshwar had taken only one wicket after having bowled 20 overs in an innings. It was a cause of concern as England headed towards a lead after Gary Balance's century. At this point, Bhuvneshwar would be justified if he said he didn't know how he got the wicket, as he claimed Ballance against the run of play, caught down the leg side.

On the third morning, once he got another left-hand batsman, Ben Stokes, he was back to his patient prowl. On a length, around that off stump, taking one away, bringing another in. Did Stokes have more patience than Cook? No he didn't. Seven dots in a row and he went for a big drive on the eighth. The scissors were in the business again. The ball dipped a little, swung back in, would have had him lbw, but ricocheted onto the stumps anyway.

It seemed like someone reminded Bhuvneshwar he had got five, and he belatedly and shyly raised the ball the Aussie way, holding it in his left hand. He led India off the field, having kept the first-innings deficit down to 24. This Meerut Ki Kainchi will get sleep tonight, but it might be a bit later than usual.

Bhuvi, is the most desirable person in this test to get a man of the match award. For is credible bowling in first innings and a sensible batting that brought us with a good lead.

on July 20, 2014, 18:36 GMT

i don't know what binny has. seriously if it was rohit or raina India might had a batsman and part time spinner .

on July 20, 2014, 14:37 GMT

India badly in need of All Rounder...impressive performance with bat and ball so far in this series...Bhuvi -- the new All Rounder in making ..

on July 20, 2014, 14:07 GMT

Good to see my city's name in Cricinfo's homepage. Meerut is an ancient city being mentioned both in Ramayana and Mahabharata. Always best in sports goods, gold market and scissors. Unfortunately, communal riots are blot on this city's name. Bhuvi has made us proud, as a Meerut and Indian citizen. Cheers..you are the man of the series.

on July 20, 2014, 12:40 GMT

Steyn must be proud of Bhuvi.

on July 20, 2014, 12:39 GMT

Bhuvi played with Steyn recently in the IPL. Both of them plotted the opposition's downfall. Coincidence?

pollachiprakash
on July 20, 2014, 12:31 GMT

Very Good Article !!!!!! He kept taking the openers wickets in every game he is shaping a very good batsman ..

on July 20, 2014, 11:37 GMT

A tad strange that you make a mention of SG Cricket balls as if it is the only piece of cricket equipment worth its name manufactured in the city! Meerut is arguably the 'Cricket manufacturing capital of India'. Besides SG; SS and BDM are the other two brands based out of the city. And more than SG Test balls it is the SS TON bats which have made a mark in the professional circuit. Heck, even Kookaburra has outsourced its Indian production to the city.

I know there is an attempt to paint a small town picture here, but if you are going to talk about the link between cricket and the city, it might be better to present the full picture.

modernaussie
on July 20, 2014, 9:23 GMT

a good prospect , being a aussie its nice to a real old fashioned bowler do well in the modern game. I love to over he set ben stokes up with.looks to be a decent batsman as well , a good find by india. we will see how good he is when he comes here to bowl to warner , Clarke and smith :)

CricketMakdi
on July 22, 2014, 22:27 GMT

Ishant is the only allrounder in the team

tameem.d.k
on July 22, 2014, 4:26 GMT

Bhuvi, is the most desirable person in this test to get a man of the match award. For is credible bowling in first innings and a sensible batting that brought us with a good lead.

on July 20, 2014, 18:36 GMT

i don't know what binny has. seriously if it was rohit or raina India might had a batsman and part time spinner .

on July 20, 2014, 14:37 GMT

India badly in need of All Rounder...impressive performance with bat and ball so far in this series...Bhuvi -- the new All Rounder in making ..

on July 20, 2014, 14:07 GMT

Good to see my city's name in Cricinfo's homepage. Meerut is an ancient city being mentioned both in Ramayana and Mahabharata. Always best in sports goods, gold market and scissors. Unfortunately, communal riots are blot on this city's name. Bhuvi has made us proud, as a Meerut and Indian citizen. Cheers..you are the man of the series.

on July 20, 2014, 12:40 GMT

Steyn must be proud of Bhuvi.

on July 20, 2014, 12:39 GMT

Bhuvi played with Steyn recently in the IPL. Both of them plotted the opposition's downfall. Coincidence?

pollachiprakash
on July 20, 2014, 12:31 GMT

Very Good Article !!!!!! He kept taking the openers wickets in every game he is shaping a very good batsman ..

on July 20, 2014, 11:37 GMT

A tad strange that you make a mention of SG Cricket balls as if it is the only piece of cricket equipment worth its name manufactured in the city! Meerut is arguably the 'Cricket manufacturing capital of India'. Besides SG; SS and BDM are the other two brands based out of the city. And more than SG Test balls it is the SS TON bats which have made a mark in the professional circuit. Heck, even Kookaburra has outsourced its Indian production to the city.

I know there is an attempt to paint a small town picture here, but if you are going to talk about the link between cricket and the city, it might be better to present the full picture.

modernaussie
on July 20, 2014, 9:23 GMT

a good prospect , being a aussie its nice to a real old fashioned bowler do well in the modern game. I love to over he set ben stokes up with.looks to be a decent batsman as well , a good find by india. we will see how good he is when he comes here to bowl to warner , Clarke and smith :)

on July 20, 2014, 9:18 GMT

Another Indian Test cricketer that the youngsters should emulate, like Rahane.

What is it about them ?? Both are immensely hardworking, both are unassuming, both give a lot of credit to others while downplaying their own achievements

Move away Kohli and Rohit. Kudos to Bhuvneshwar and Ajinkya.

Mervo
on July 20, 2014, 9:05 GMT

Looks a decent prospect if he can kick on. If only he had another yard or two of pace, he would be a real threat.

SHIVAMRATHORE
on July 20, 2014, 7:50 GMT

An awesome article about the one who is considered as the future of indian swing attack.But i just hope that he should lay enough emphasis on his back and shoulder fitness so that he may not end up like ajit agarkar another bower with same ability as kumar ,but was not able to recover with same potential after a series of injuries instead of having one of the best start to his career when compared to any other fast bowlers ever.

SHIVAMRATHORE
on July 20, 2014, 7:39 GMT

a beautiful article about another upcoming bowler ,but i just wish that he should remain concious about his back and shoulder so that he may not end up like ajit agarkar who showed so much promise in his early years of his career but due to series of injuries and politics ,he never was able to come back with same class in international level.

mjrvasu
on July 20, 2014, 6:08 GMT

A sensible and inspiring article after a long time! Wish Bhuvi all the best for the years to come. In spite of the average Indian team otherwise and a defensive captain, Bhuvi continues to impress.

on July 20, 2014, 5:59 GMT

This guy is doing great. Insha Allah hope he makes it big.

milepost
on July 20, 2014, 5:23 GMT

Another masterclass by an Indian in English conditions, great to see. Meanwhile the English selectors are playing Rock Paper Scissors to see who gets the captaincy, keeper and a couple of bowling positions for the next test. People touring Root as captain might want to remember a few tests ago he wasn't in the side having been dropped because of his class problem, he has none. Questions over Bell too.

on July 20, 2014, 5:19 GMT

wow... what an article...I really like this bowler.. though I am from Meerut ...I am still critical of his bowling... but he is the best we have..

on July 20, 2014, 5:08 GMT

A very well written article. . Clearly captures the whole life a quality player in international cricket. He is one hard working player and a very humble but level headed character. Taking the burden of leading the Indian Bowling attack is big and he is doing great. He is one player who learns from the IPL and team mates. Talent. All the very best Buvi !!!

on July 20, 2014, 3:50 GMT

Fantastic writeup Sid. Its amazing how he has single handedly decimated the opposition (@lso with his runs) ..
Wish he had a little more support. Selectors/Captain have been pretty adamant about trying new faces, be it bowlers or batsmen. Hope to see Pankaj Singh play some part in remainder of the series..

Nice article about Meerut city and Bhuvi. Meerut is called as the sports city of India.

Mcvilla
on July 20, 2014, 3:08 GMT

Bhuvi has to watch his back and keep doing exercises regularly to remain fit as a fast bowler. He is too good an all rounder to lose.

JustIPL
on July 20, 2014, 2:13 GMT

Valuable pillar for indian struggling middle order and pace bowling. Can improve to a angelo methews like role and bowls the most wicket taking deliveries and seems to be the only hope for the rest of series while others are just ordinary. Despite his six wicket taking balls english lower order added 100 valuable runs which might be the turning point in this game.

SagirParkar
on July 20, 2014, 1:49 GMT

beautifully composed article Siddharth... not a lot of us cricket followers know about the humble, and often struggling, beginnings of many of our players... every once in a while a story such as this gives us cause for genuine joy and happiness for such players and keeps the faith alive in us that good things happen to good people !

zarasochozarasamjho
on July 19, 2014, 23:07 GMT

He impressed me as a bowler of high test standard when he played Pakistan. His batting style is so proper that he can develop into a good test all-rounder. As a Pakistani supporter I wish him well.

slackers11
on July 19, 2014, 22:51 GMT

Sreesanth would have been the ideal kind of bowler in these English conditions, even more than Kumar..

bhushanB
on July 19, 2014, 22:47 GMT

@Al_Bundy1

Totally agree with you.. saw sandeep sharma a few years ago when he was playing U-19..he has similar ability to swing both ways..... time to groom the next generation swing bowlers into the team, especially in ENG.. and else where based on conditions we can possibly rotate them as needed...

spinkingKK
on July 19, 2014, 22:36 GMT

@ KeepitHonest, in Australia, Praveen Kumar was almost unplayable in the ODI's. So, I can't see why Bhuvi can't do the same with the Kookaburra . I hope India pick Praveen (Also Irfan Pathan for other reasons) for the Aussie tour at least. Having said all these, Australians are good fighters and in test matches, unlike the Indians, they are very aggressive and could go after the Kumar's at their slow medium pace. So, there will be occasions when they will look like very mediocre. But, if they realize that it is meant to happen once ( or a few times) in a while, they will become unique Indian seamers who are very rare to find elsewhere.

on July 19, 2014, 21:23 GMT

U seem to forget Mohammed shami ...from UP. He was forced to go to Bengal because of poverty but he belongs to same region of UP and for @ keepithonest he will be a handful on Aussie seam / bouncy pitches ... Given his pace and straight seam

StraightDrives
on July 19, 2014, 21:00 GMT

I come from Meerut and it's so heartening to see my hometown in News for good reasons. Way to go Bhuvi!

on July 19, 2014, 20:11 GMT

Thanks for nice insight of family,this explain ,why he is humble yet persistent.How about his bating in Ranji and ,so far better average than well known establish players.
All the best to him and family.
David (Canada NS,Halifax)

KeepitHonest
on July 19, 2014, 20:09 GMT

Thinking ahead, hope Bhuvi can carry his form to the Australia series later in the year. Will be much tougher as the Kookaburra balls have lower seams and not sure if overhead conditions help that much. Hope he is able to offset these challenges with the experience gained in England.

on July 19, 2014, 19:41 GMT

Best of luck young man. Need Shami to come back into game-hopefully one of the Varon and Pankaj will do well with Yadav another decent bowler. Indian pace line up is not too bad-to this I would also add Bumrah

on July 19, 2014, 19:39 GMT

wat a brilliant article siddarth...a true tribute to someone as humble and as brilliant as Bhuvi.. come on Bhuvi, time to change some history

Al_Bundy1
on July 19, 2014, 19:35 GMT

Sandeep Sharma and Bhuvi bowling in tandem in swing friendly conditions of England would have wreaked havoc on the English batsmen. Bhuvi has claimed enough wickets. The result would have been much better with another swinging bowler like Sandeep Sharma

on July 19, 2014, 19:27 GMT

well written article......long way to go Bhuvnesh kumar

TimeKiller
on July 19, 2014, 19:21 GMT

India missing another Kumar or two here. Wish all three Kumar's had bowled at Lords today. Although Vinay is not from Meerut, he is a fine swing bowler as well.

sherdaputtar
on July 19, 2014, 19:19 GMT

Meerut is not at all a small town... It is a metro city by census standards...

Herath-UK
on July 19, 2014, 19:08 GMT

He looks like a real find to India & all the best to him.Feel like close to him having traveled to Uttar Pradesh on my Buddhist Pilgrimage to Gaya.

No featured comments at the moment.

Herath-UK
on July 19, 2014, 19:08 GMT

He looks like a real find to India & all the best to him.Feel like close to him having traveled to Uttar Pradesh on my Buddhist Pilgrimage to Gaya.

sherdaputtar
on July 19, 2014, 19:19 GMT

Meerut is not at all a small town... It is a metro city by census standards...

TimeKiller
on July 19, 2014, 19:21 GMT

India missing another Kumar or two here. Wish all three Kumar's had bowled at Lords today. Although Vinay is not from Meerut, he is a fine swing bowler as well.

on July 19, 2014, 19:27 GMT

well written article......long way to go Bhuvnesh kumar

Al_Bundy1
on July 19, 2014, 19:35 GMT

Sandeep Sharma and Bhuvi bowling in tandem in swing friendly conditions of England would have wreaked havoc on the English batsmen. Bhuvi has claimed enough wickets. The result would have been much better with another swinging bowler like Sandeep Sharma

on July 19, 2014, 19:39 GMT

wat a brilliant article siddarth...a true tribute to someone as humble and as brilliant as Bhuvi.. come on Bhuvi, time to change some history

on July 19, 2014, 19:41 GMT

Best of luck young man. Need Shami to come back into game-hopefully one of the Varon and Pankaj will do well with Yadav another decent bowler. Indian pace line up is not too bad-to this I would also add Bumrah

KeepitHonest
on July 19, 2014, 20:09 GMT

Thinking ahead, hope Bhuvi can carry his form to the Australia series later in the year. Will be much tougher as the Kookaburra balls have lower seams and not sure if overhead conditions help that much. Hope he is able to offset these challenges with the experience gained in England.

on July 19, 2014, 20:11 GMT

Thanks for nice insight of family,this explain ,why he is humble yet persistent.How about his bating in Ranji and ,so far better average than well known establish players.
All the best to him and family.
David (Canada NS,Halifax)

StraightDrives
on July 19, 2014, 21:00 GMT

I come from Meerut and it's so heartening to see my hometown in News for good reasons. Way to go Bhuvi!